Walking on the Phlegrean Fields in Pozzuoli - Italy

Panoramic picture taken from the Belvedere Superiore: Phlegrean Field

When I was in Naples I wanted to visit the Vesuvius ofcourse. This was planned on my last day and in the morning I walked to the metrostation in Bagnoli. My hotel was in Bagnoli, it is 15 minutes with the train to the centre of Naples. That morning I had planned my trip to Garibaldi, there I would take the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano. From there you could take a bus to the Vesuvius so you had to walk just the last end to the top.

Well, I came at the metrostation in Bagnoli and I saw that it was closed. It had rained that night...probably the railway wasn't dry?

So I walked all the way back to the hotel to walk on to the other side where the trainstation of Agnano was. I could get the train to Montesanto, then walk through the old  centre and get to Circumvesuviana like that. Well, when I came there I saw a couple of men on the platform. They told me, well they waved at me, from which I could tell that there are no trains riding.. I saw other people, Italians, turning away from the platform and walking back from where they came from.

 

Walking down the street to the metrostation in Bagnoli

At that point I had no other options so I went back to the hotel and told them what happened. They looked at me and said, oh yes... A strike, I did know. They do that often.. Well, I couldn't go to Vesuvius unless I took a taxi. They did had another option for me, he told me about the Phlegrean Fields, or how the call it Campi Flegrei. I had never heard of it, I just knew that is was a trainstop on my way to Naples.  I looked it up on the internet. It was a large vulcano area situated on the West of Naples.  They would bring me to the site which was called Solfatara. I read it was a shallow volcanic crater at Puzzuoli and part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It was formed 4000 years ago and last erupted in 1198 which probably was an aphreatic eruption. This is an explosive steam driven eruption caused when groundwater interacts with magma.

I thought that was great. A free taxi from the hotel, couldn't get any better. So a servent brought me to it. It was almost an half hour tour through Naples and after a bit sightseeing we entered the village of Pozzuoli. When we entered the street where the entrance of the field was I saw busses full of tourists entering that small street. 

The map/brochure I got when I bought the ticket

I entered and bought a ticket. It was a small office and didn't look real proffesional. Later I heard that it was the private property of a family. The entrance fee was 7 euro per person. They gave me a brochure with information about the volcano and showed me how to walk the area.

The way to the Belverdere's

First it led me down a way from where you can go up to a point from where you could get some nice pictures. The point were marked at the map as: Belvedere superiore and Belvedere inferiore.

The overview over the field from the Belvedere Superiore

 

I made a couple of pictures up there ofcourse. It was a good point to get the whole field in one picture. The weather was great, the sky blue and the temperature warm.

After that I walked down and started to walk the field along the water. It had rained alot that night so the lake in the middle of the field was big. I saw bubbles in that lake. Strange to see and hear.  Walking down there it was getting hot. I walked on the field and because it was surrounded by mountains it was almost windstill. The breezes that were there were really welcome.  Especially at the fumaroles, where the steam came out of the volcano. It was really getting hot!! It was around 11.30 hours, so almost the hottest time of the day.

 

I saw a couple of triangle things... they were there to messure some activity was explained. The area is observed 24 - 7.  In case of extra activity they can take action to protect the surroundings and the people.

 

The two heavy wheels of marble and basalt

Those wheels were used for working the white material called Bianchetto, used as pigment. This was the explaining for it on a plate next to it.
 

I also saw a well, it was called: Pozzo dell'Acqua Minerale. The well was famous since the Middle Ages and was the source for mineral water which was said to have a lot of powers for the cure of sterility und ulcers.

Pozzo dell'Acqua Minerale

Temperatures up to 150 Celcius or 302 Fahrenheit...

Within the mouth are certain salts contained in the vapor condense, among which realgar (As S), cinabro (Hg S) and arsenic trisulphide (As2 S3) which give a yellow-reddish colour to the surrounding rocks; solfridric acid (H2S) is also present, by the distinguishing "rotten egg" smell.

source: Il Volcano Solfatara

This biggest one temperature even up to 160 C of 320 F

A lot of steam

After walking by the biggest fumarole (Bocca Grande) I saw a thing that looked like an oven. When I came closer I read the board next to it. It was The Stufe, Stufe Antiche, also known of the Purgatory and The other Hell. It was used as natural saunas and for the inhalation of sulphurous vapours which were considered beneficial for repiratory illnesses. 

 

The Stufe Antiche

Just enjoying the view for a while

After my visit I walked down the street to the exit, there were some shops.

There I heard another tourist couple talking to eachother, they were Dutch too. I asked them where they had their hotel and how they came here. They told me that they had taken the metro, they did had some difficulties coming here but the metro was running. I walked with them back to the metro and we took one to Naples. The couple told me that they lived in Northern Italy for the summer and in the winter time they lived in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. How great is that, get the best of both the told me!!